Marc Albrecht

Chief conductor designate

Starting in September 2026, Marc Albrecht will assume the role of chief conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. Before this official appointment, audiences in Antwerp will have the opportunity to see him performing with the orchestra, in the spring of 2026.

Marc Albrecht, hailing from Hanover, is a highly regarded conductor, particularly known for his expertise in German and Austrian late-romantic repertoire and contemporary music. His ability to bring together the intimacy of chamber music with the expansive symphonic sound has made him a sought-after presence worldwide. Recent performances have taken him to leading opera houses in Berlin, Tokyo and Geneva. as well as to prestigious orchestras such as the Oslo Philharmonic, Gulbenkian Orchestra Lisbon, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de Sao Paulo in Brazil and Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Marc Albrecht also regularly appears at festivals, such as Salzburger Festspiele, Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Bayreuther Festspiele and the BBC Proms in London.

Throughout his career, Marc Albrecht has garnered numerous accolades. He was honoured as Conductor of the Year by the International Opera Awards and later earned the same distinction from OPUS KLASSIK. In recognition of his contributions to Dutch musical life during his ten-year tenure as Music Director of the Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, he was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 2020. His award-winning recordings include Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau and Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane.

His career was strongly influenced by Claudio Abbado, whom he assisted at the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. After studies in Vienna and engagements at Staatsoper Hamburg and Semperoper Dresden, he became Generalmusikdirektor in Darmstadt. This was followed by notable positions as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and a ten-year tenure with the Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam.